Soul and Heart
by Allen Bedillion Trahurn
Summary: The long awaited sequel of "Heart and Soul." Things take a turn for the worse in Death City, and with new Madness induced Heartless popping up almost everywhere, will Sora and friends be able to stop it?
1. Prologue

**Soul and Heart**

Allen Bedillion Trahurn

_Prologue_

Sora rested his forehead against one of the cool glass windows of the Gummi Ship. He supposed he should have been happier – at long last he had found Riku, and all they had left was to confront Xemnas is The World that Never Was – but he just couldn't bring himself to it. Maybe it was the fact that, after so long, the adventure was coming to an end. Maybe it was because he thought that he wouldn't be able to see his friends again after they defeated him. Or maybe he was just afraid that they wouldn't make it back at all.

"Is everything all right, Sora?" asked Riku from his seat next to the young Keybearer. Sora glanced over at his silver haired friend, who seemed to be looking through him despite the blindfold covering his eyes.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just nervous, I guess."

"Don't worry, Sora," called Donald from the front passengers seat, turning his feathered face to his friend, " This guy doesn't stand a chance against us!" Sora smiled at the mage's confidence before touching his head back to the window. He let out a deep sigh that fogged the window. Looking at it, he had a thought.

_"I wonder..."_he thought, raising a finger and beginning to write. He didn't know whether or not it would work, but figured it was worth a shot.

_42-42-564_

At first, nothing happened, and Sora was about to get rid of the writing when the window flashed and rippled like liquid before an image, clear as day, appeared on the surface.

_Crash!_

The sound was sudden and deafening, making everyone in the cabin practically jump out of their skins.

"What in the world was that?" asked Donald, but he received no answer. Instead, everyone was staring at what had appeared in the window.

A man stood in a large room, jagged cloak torn in many places, enough so to reveal pale skin beneath it. The walls looked like open sky, complete with realistic, moving clouds. He stood on a raised platform, surrounded by slightly off kilter crosses, and in his hand was a deadly looking scythe.. With a sweeping motion he demolished a group of Heartless as they leapt up to attack him, and with his back still turned to the onlookers he spoke.

As you can see, the situation here in Death City has become quite dire. It is my hope that this broadcast will reach out through the worlds and reach the Keybearer, Sora. However, such an event is unlikely."

The man turned, revealing a strangely cartoonish skull mask that was cracked along the entire left side, and walked closer, "Therefore, I call out to anyone capable; come to our world. Fight with us in our time of peril. We need all the help we can get. Over and out. Oh, and if you can? Hurry." -

With that, the imaged flashed a moment more before returning the window to its original state. Aside from the dim light coming from the various instruments in the cabin, all went dark.

"Goofy!" Sora yelled, turning to his companion.

"Already on it!" Goofy replied, and the Gummi Ship rocked for a minute before it was gone, it's destination clear – Heart and Soul.


	2. Arrival

_Chapter 1 - Arrival_

Soul spat blood as he stood back up, the red liquid hitting the pavement only to be washed away almost immediately by the pouring rain. Around him were what looked to be hundreds of Heartless, all of them false copies of his friend, Black Star. The young ninja had gone missing a few days before, leaving behind his Weapon Partner, Tsubaki. Soul feared the worst, but refused to give up hope. The Heartless had the same basic body type of Black Star, but their faces and hair were all black, with beady yellow eyes glowing maliciously. Their clothes were the same style as the young ninja, but the coloring was off; mostly blacks and blues. Lastly, the Heartless symbol was on each of their shoulders, rather than Black Star's trademark star tattoo.

"Come on then," Soul said, taking a glance back at the unconscious and bloodied blonde behind him, her back resting against the red brick wall that blocked their escape. She had fought hard, but had eventually been overwhelmed. Only Soul's quick thinking and quicker feet had gotten them this far, but now they were stuck. Dead end.

_"Don't worry, Maka,"_ he thought as the madness, as well as the Black Blood, began to take its effect on him, _"they aren't going to get anywhere near you as long as I'm still breathing."_ Turning his attention back to the situation at hand, Soul watched as one of the Heartless lunged at him, aiming to spear him in the gut. Soul lifted a foot and caught the creature before it could get any closer, smiling maniacally as the scythe blade shot out from his heel and impaled the monster. It struggled for a moment before dissipated in a cloud of black smoke. As he brought his foot back down to the ground, two more Heartless grabbed his arms and pulled them back, trying to knock him prone, only to be decapitated as scythe blades shot from his shoulder blades. As they disappeared, one got past him and went after Soul's downed partner only to be caught by the throat with a swift motion from the Weapon. Soul glared at it angrily before his fingers became tiny scythe blades that sliced into its flesh, destroying it.

The battle went on like this for what seemed like hours, and though Soul was strong and fueled by the Black Blood, he couldn't hold them off forever. Eventually he began to fatigue, and soon he was caught by one, then two, then three, and more and more until he was buried under a veritable mountain of Heartless. As he began to lose conciousness, he heard a familiar voice and smiled.

"Aero!" Wind began to howl amongst the buildings. Nothing really happened at first but, as the spell gained power and the wind picked up strength, Heartless began to fly off of the white haired Weapon, slamming into walls or into the ground and making them burst into clouds of black smoke. When he could move again, Soul dropped to his knees over his Meister, shielding her unconscious form from the wind as best he could. When the spell ended, he was alone save for a few familiar faces.

"Are you all right, Soul?" asked Goofy, the shield on his arm flashing and disappearing; his Weapon form returning to normal. Donald walked behind him, the end of his staff glowing softly as his spell faded. Sora and Riku hung back, the latter trying and failing to summon his Keyblade while the former looked around as if he were searching for someone.

"Yeah," replied Soul, lifting Maka off the ground, "but I'm lucky you guys showed up when you did. We've been fighting all day; not even Shibusen is safe anymore. In fact, the only place that _is_ safe is a small oasis out in the desert. Kid is there now, trying to keep the Heartless away from the people of the city. That's where we were going, actually." Meanwhile, Riku gave his friend a panicked look.

"Sora...I can't summon my Keyblade. What's going on?"

"As soon as I find mine, I'll show you," the younger boy answered, still distracted. Both turned as a new voice called out from behind them.

"You won't find Light, Sora," the voice said, revealed to be coming from a black haired girl wearing a denim jacket. Sora recognized her immediately.

"Oblivion! What do you mean I won't find her?"

"Well, when you guys entered the world, she appeared in an...unsavory place. Long story short, she was captured, and since I seem to have appeared as well, I'm obligated to help you out. Oh, and Riku?"

"Yeah?" asked the silver haired boy, arms crossed.

"Allow me to introduce you to someone." From around the girl emerged a young man. He was around Riku's height, and had the same haircut. He wore regular street clothes; a white tee-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and red tennis shoes. Really, the only thing strange about him was that his eyes were an electric blue color with cats pupils instead of the normal round ones one would expect. Along with this was a pair of wings on his back, one an angels and one a demons. He looked bored and had a pair of earbuds in his ears. He flicked his eyes up to Riku with a blank look.

"Sup. I'm Dusk, your Keyblade."

**Meanwhile...**

Light sat in a dimly lit room, her slender arms held up with chains, and her eyes were fixed in a blank stare at the floor. She was doing her best to show absolutely no emotion. Next to her was a boy she recognized; Black Star. He was unconscious and there was a small trickle of blood coming from somewhere beyond his hairline. Directly ahead of her was a large bed, fit for a queen, and upon it were a black haired woman that she had learned was called Arachne, and sitting with his head in her lap was the Kishin himself. Kneeling before them was a pure black entity.

"Riku," Arachne said quietly, "how is your plan coming along?"

"Exactly. Better than planned, actually," it said, it's voice a dark, raspy mockery of the original source. It stood and turned, taking a few steps toward Light and gripping her chin with a shadowy hand and pulling her eyes up to meet his despite her struggling.

"Who would have thought that the Keyblade would simply drop into our laps? Her form will make a fine addition to the ranks of my army," he said, the smirk on his face more audible than visible as he dropped her face with a little toss. Reaching into a shadow on the wall, the Heartless Riku produced a small Shadow Heartless. It struggled for freedom but was no match for the larger ones superior strength. With a curt turn he knelt again, holding the pathetic creature up to Asura and Arachne.

"Kishin Lord! Change this pathetic thing into something useful!" he cried, and was answered with a blood-curdling scream. The madness pierced through the Shadow, changing it until it became a crude copy of Black Star. It was akin to the others, but this one lacked an emblem, and instead had a star on the shoulder. The Heartless Riku dropped it and sneered.

"Good enough."


	3. Black Star?

_Chapter 2 – Black Star?_

"So you got the message father has been broadcasting, huh?" asked Death the Kid, looking rather sage-like as he sat floating above the middle of the oasis, legs crossed. The bottom Sanzu Line in his hair was complete, and all around the oasis area (as well as a little bit of the surrounding desert) was a solid black line. Sora watched as a flying Heartless approached, only for a bolt of black lightning to leap up from the line and destroy it. Within this black line were around two-hundred people, and Sora's heart sank at the sight of it.

"Are these all that made it?" he asked quietly.

"All of those that made it out of the city, yes," Kid answered, eyes closed tight in concentration before relaxing again, "thankfully, father was able to keep the Vault in Shibusen safe, so most of the townspeople are there, though there have been a few casualties." Donald and Goofy began to walk around the oasis, making sure people were all right while Riku stood against a nearby palm tree, looking around through his blindfold. He was speaking with his Keyblade in quiet tones, still not sure what was going on.

"It's good you caught us," Kid continued, "We were afraid no one would come to our aid. It was a long shot, really; hardly anyone knows of the different worlds, and even fewer possess the ability to travel between them. We lucked out..." he said, trailing off at the end as his eyes clenched tight again, as if he were concentrating. Liz, who had been standing nearby, continued for him.

"Sorry if he can't talk too much. It takes a lot of energy to keep the barrier up. I don't know how long he'll be able to keep it up, but I know he will...as long as it takes," she said, her tone darkening, implying what would happen if it fell. Sora nodded in understanding before he noticed something odd.

"Hey...where's Patty?"

"Oh...Patty," Liz said, suddenly distracted. She crossed her arms over her stomach as if trying to keep herself together, "she was captured when all of this started. They didn't take her soul...just her. I don't..." Her eyes began to water and her voice faltered, keeping her from continuing. Sora put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find her," he said, receiving a small nod from the Weapon. Meanwhile, Riku looked on with confusion before turning his attention back to Dusk.

"So...how exactly does this work?" he asked. Dusk merely looked up at him, no emotion showing on his face.

"Well," he began, "I think the real question is how you intend to fight at all, what with that blindfold and everything. Then again, I've been fighting with you for a while now, so I guess I really shouldn't worry one way or the other. Dusk pulled and iPod from his pocket and began scrolling through the options, seemingly oblivious.

"No...what I meant is how do we fight at all. You're a person."

"Am I?" Dusk asked, cats eyes flashing with energy as he looked up to his Meister. In his free hand a ball of blue-black fire appeared.

"I am a Keyblade. Your own Keyblade. My power is your power; I'm no more a person than any sword is." Riku was only baffled further by his Weapon's cryptic words and strangely dark demeanor, and dropped the subject. Instead, he turned and began to walk toward Sora. His steps quickened to a run when he heard someone cry out in pain.

"Kid?" Liz asked, turning to her friend. He had fallen into the water and was floating with his face to the air, but his eyes were still closed tight in concentration, pain shooting across his face every few seconds. Liz ran to him, ignoring the water soaking into her pant legs. When she reached him, she lifted him up out of the water further.

"What's going on?" she asked, but received no answer. Off in the distance a familiar voice rang out.

"Hey! Aren't you guys going to let me in?" it called, and a woman within a group of people perked up at the sound.

"Black Star?" she said with disbelief. Then, she was gone, sprinting toward the voice. Sora followed, hot on her heels, reaching out as Oblivion transformed and flew into his outstretched hand. Donald and Goofy joined him from the crowd while Riku helped get Kid out of the oasis.

"Tsubaki! Wait!" The Keybearer called, but she was either too far ahead or too focused to pay him any attention. When she stopped, her eyes were wide with what she saw on the other side of the barrier. Outside was another of the Black Star Heartless, but this one was different. It's stance wasn't the slouch the others had, and it actually had a star on it's shoulder. In the center of its chest was a heart shaped hole that pierced all the way through the being, showing the desert on the other side. On its face was a smirk, and its glowing yellow eyes held the shine of intelligence.

"What's wrong, Tsubaki?" Don't you recognize me?" it asked, it's voice a slightly raspy version of Black Star's. It held its hand up as if inviting her to take it, and when the shadowy limb crossed the barrier arcs of black electricity leapt up to meet it. Though it didn't pass any further past that point, the lightning didn't seem to altogether bother the heartless.

"You...you can't be..."

"Can't be? Can't be what? Can't be Black Star? Of course I am! Have you ever seen anyone as great as I am?" it asked, lowering the hand and cocking its head to the side, as if it were confused.

"I...don't..." was all she could say in response, and the creature smiled again.

"Come on Tsubaki. I know what we can do now; you can come with me, and we can save Death City. Together," it said soothingly. Tsubaki shook her head, her mind racing. It seemed so much like him, she thought, and yet so different. And if this means they got him, but he was still so much like himself, then maybe she could change him back. Her hand began to float up toward the barrier, her feet to take unsteady steps forward.

"Stop!" cried Sora, arching Oblivion back and swinging the weapon forward, releasing it and sending it spinning toward the heartless. The Heartless didn't have time to react as the blad struck him in the chest just below the hole, sending him flying back. Using his momentum, Sora leapt into the air, passing through the barrier easily as the Keblade reappeared in his hand as he came down on his enemy, blade poised to stab into the being. The Heartless rolled before he could land the blow, then jumped up, ready to fight. The smirk was still on its face.

"Oh look. The Keybearer. I didn't even know you were back," it said, a pair of kusarigama appearing in its hands. They were made of shadows, like their wielder. Tsubaki, meanwhile, was held back by Donald and Goofy, who stood ready should their friend need them. Following not far behind were Riku and Dusk, watching what was happening from a distance.

"What game are you trying to play? Who are you?" Sora asked, Keyblade ready to strike.

"What, you don't remember me? I'm Black Star! Or at least I was," the Heartless said before launching itself forward into an attack. Sora backstepped quickly to avoid the chain-scythes before countering with a few slashes of his own. All but one met nothing but air, the Heartless dodging his attacks easily; the last swing had the ring of steel as their weapons collided, both combatants fighting for dominance but neither gaining any ground.

"Something like you could never have been Black Star! Black Star wouldn't have let himself turn into something so weak!" Sora cried, breaking from the clash and taking a quick swing that hit the Heartless in the gut, spilling black colored blood onto the sand. The Heartless jumped back and held the already sealing wound, and Sora couldn't help but notice that he had seen something like that happen before.

"So, you've got the Black Blood, huh? That's it then. You're just like that Riku imposter," Sora said quietly, letting his power build. It was time to finish this.

"Fine..." the Heartless said, its voice pained but still cocky, "but what does it matter what I really am? As long as I'm in this form, I have all the powers that Black Star does." The Heartless raised its arms, and pools of shadow appeared around him. Slowly, crude copies of the Heartless formed, all slouched and ready for battle. It was apparent that they lacked the intelligence of their so-called master.

"You play with these," it said," I've got some other things to take care of now that I know _you're _here." The Heartless turned then, stepping into and sinking down into one of the pools of shadow. Sora gripped the handle of Oblivion tighter, allowing his power to sink into the weapon and make its surface glow with power. At this point, Soul and Maka had arrived, ready to help. With a big, shark-toothed grin, Soul spoke.

"Let's get rid of these posers."


	4. Dual Resonance

_Chapter 3 – Dual Resonance_

Sora pulled Oblivion from the chest of a Black Star Heartless, its form dissipating into formless black mist before it hit the sand. Sora kept on, launching himself into another group of enemies and hacking away, his blade flashing in the harsh sunlight. Meanwhile, Soul and Maka deftly dispatched a group on their own, severed heads hanging in the air for only a moment before disappearing. But, despite their best efforts, there were simply too many to catch them all. Some of the heartless slipped by, charging the oasis and, though the barrier was able to stop them, pained cries from nearby told them it wouldn't last for long.

"Thunder!" cried Donald, sending an arc of lightning at the oncoming horde and turning them to dust as Goofy, in shield form, spun over the wizards head, crashing into one of the creatures before turning back to normal and bashing his enemies away.

"You guys stay back, we'll keep these guys from getting through," Goofy called back to Tsubaki and Liz, the latter of which had arrived only moments before. They nodded and turned back to the center of the oasis to help Kid, who had let out another cry. On their way, they passed by Riku and Dusk, both of whom seemed only vaguely interested in the battle.

"Don't you think we should...I don't know...help them?" the Weapon asked, eyes still fixed on the small device in his hands. His tone was bored but expectant, as if he knew what the silver haired boy would say.

"Normally, I'd say yes...but I think they can handle it," Riku answered, staring through his blindfold at the battle before them. Sora had just dispatched a group of Heartless that had flanked him with a spinning strike, and was already charging toward his next target.

"Jealous?" asked Dusk.

"Why would I be jealous? He's strong, both in his sword arm and in his heart, and it's that strength that will take us through to the end," Riku responded. In truth he was, even if it was only the tiniest bit, and for a moment his mind went back to darker times. In particular, he remember the boy that had taken the Keyblade in Hollow Bastion. Dusk glanced up, catlike eyes narrowing for a moment before speaking.

"Pretty dark place you're in. Thought you were over that." Riku was silent, his attention brought back to the battle.

"Well what do you suggest now?" asked Soul, his face appearing in the scythe blade as Maka slowly backed away from the oncoming horde of Heartless. She felt someone at her back and knew it to be Sora.

"Why don't we just tear them apart, limb by limb? Oblivion asked, her voice a threatening snarl. Soul chuckled at this.

"What with our bear hands?" asked Maka, "That's a little crazy, even for our standards!"

"We could always try Soul Resonance," suggested Sora, weapon darting up to block a shadowy shuriken. Maka smiled and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Yeah, or how about a new technique I call Dual Resonance?" she asked.

"Anything is worth a shot," the Keybearer said as he tightened his grip on his weapon. The swarm of Heartless began to close in, almost within pouncing distance. It wouldn't be long before they were buried.

"Right! Soul!" Maka cried, and the white haired Weapon nodded before his image vanished from the blade. Sora felt the pair's power spike behind him, and he knew they were beginning to resonate. He began to do the same when he felt something out of the norm; a tendril of energy was reaching out for him. Tentatively, he reached out with his own wavelength and made contact.

"Linke souls," Maka muttered as Sora felt power fill him, "working as one. Two minds. Two bodies. One soul! Dual Resonance!" Maka's scythe exploded with energy, the blade glowing with incandescent light. The Keyblade began to glow brightly as well, and with synchronized movements the two fighters lunged forward, swinging out at their enemies with the power they fueled to one another.

"Sora!" Maka called, swinging her scythe back behind her as if preparing to strike, but he knew better. Because of their link, Sora knew what she was thinking and grabbed ahold of the weapon as she, began to swing it.

_"Wow, she's a lot stronger than I thought she was,"_ Sora thought as he was pulled through the air, releasing the scythe just in time to get launched into the air. Focusing his power into Oblivion, Sora pointed the weapon back to the earth and released a volley of energy blasts at the remaining Heartless. Meanwhile, Maka swept her scythe in a wide arc, destroying Heartless with a touch. Sora landed before her in a kneel, Keyblade stabbed into the sand.

"That all of them? That's too bad," Oblivion said, "Things were just getting interesting." There was a flash of light and the Weapon was standing before Sora, stretching and smirking. Soul followed suit, the look on his face one of grim satisfaction.

"Yeah. But those were just the little guys. Peons. We fought that Black Star Heartless the night you guys showed up. He was strong enough to knock Maka out before he left the little ones to deal with us," said Soul, eyes down as the four slowly made their way back to the oasis, "if it hadn't been for the Black Blood, we would've..." He trailed off, clenching his fists in anger.

"Wait," Sora started, confused, "you have the Black Blood too?" When Soul didn't speak, Maka took the baton.

"Yeah. Ever since our fight with Crona. He's been battling the madness every since, and it's only gotten worse since Asura's awakening." Sora stayed silent, taking in the information with a hand on his chin.

"Speaking of Crona," said Soul finally, "he should still be in the Academy fighting with Lord Death."

"And what does that mean for us?" Sora asked, and was answered by the white haired weapon smiling and holding up a set of keys.

_Meanwhile..._

Crona held Ragnarok at the ready, the ruby red lips on the blade smirking with anticipation. Next to the boy stood Lord Death. Most of his black cloak was now missing, revealing in places a pale, slim man in a nice suit, and only a small portion of his mask was remained, showing a rather handsome and furious face. The showing eye was a reddish amber, reflecting his apparent anger, and in his hands was his Death Scythe, blade glowing with energy.

"What happened to the scary doctor?" asked Crona timidly. Ragnarok licked his lips.

"He's probably dead. I'd _love _to have his soul! Can I? Can I?" Lord Death only smirked.

"No, that won't be necessary. Wherever he went, he'll be fine. Now, Crona, what do you think we should do about these?" Lord Death said, nodding toward the Black Star Heartless that were beginning to swarm up the guillotine lined hallway.

"I dunno...there's too much pressure...I don't know if I can handle too much pressure," the pink haired boy muttered, lowering his blade a few inches.

"Well Crona it's either that or die," Ragnarok pointed out blatantly as Lord Death put a hand on the boys shoulder.

"Don't dwell on it, child. For now, let's just make sure that we keep these monsters away from the innocents. Can you do that for me?" Crona was silent for a moment, keeping an eye on the ever approaching Heartless before nodding and raising his blade, new determination filling his soul.

"Ragnarok...Screech Alpha," he said calmly, launching the first attack in what was sure to be an epic battle.


	5. Terror of the Sand 1

_Chapter 4 – Terror of the Sands (Part 1)_

The motorcycle roared through the desert, the road to Death City relatively free of Heartless. Any they did encounter passed by in the blink of an eye. Maka was at the wheel, with Soul in weapon form on her back, and Sora sat behind her with Keyblade in hand. Every once in a while he would take a swing at one of the Heartless, the speed they were moving making the edge of his blade that much more lethal.

"We're coming up on Death City," said Soul, appearing on the surface of the blade, "the streets are practically a warzone, and chances are we won't get too far in before we have to start walking. Think you're up to it?" Sora nodded as he looked back and forth along the road, noticing the sand-shark Heartless leaping and swimming about, following them.

"Yeah," he said, "I can handle it. How long until we arrive?" He was never answered; the sand-shark Heartless were suddenly gone, and the ground beneath them began to shake violently, so much so that Maka almost lost control of the bike, making her come to a screeching halt.

"What's going on?" she asked no one in particular, looking around wildly for the source of the commotion. Soul's eyes were wide at what he saw over Sora's shoulder; it appeared to be a sandstorm, but one of such magnitude that it was destroying the road behind them.

"Drive, Maka! Drive!" he cried, and she obliged while Sora looked back at the destruction, stunned. The back wheel of the bike squealed when she twisted the throttle and they were gone. All around them, black tentacles erupted from the sand and slamming down around them. Maka evaded them easily, even going so far as to use a piece of debris as a ramp to pass over one as it landed in front of them. However, they were vulnerable in the air, and whatever was chasing them knew that. Sora watched as a tentacle came down on them. The Keyblade began to glow with energy as Oblivion cried out to her partner.

"Fire away at it! Make it wish it hadn't messed with us!" Sora complied with the girl, aiming the tip of his weapon up to the tentacle and releasing the built up energy, beams of light arching out and tearing into the tentacle, burning it away in places. An inhuman roar erupted from somewhere and the tentacle, or what was left of it, sank into the sand.

"We're almost there!" cried Maka, and Sora looked forward to see buildings coming up ahead of them. Their enemy took advantage of the Keybearer's distraction, slamming tentacles around them and sending the motorcycle careening dangerously into the air and throwing the riders. A piece of debris hit Sora in the head, and his vision faded to black.

_Sometime later, in the Oasis..._

"Do you think they're okay?" asked Donald, looking out into the desert. The sandstorm still raged out in the distance, and he could feel that it wasn't natural.

"It's Sora," answered Goofy, smiling at his companion, "he'll be fine. Besides, he has Maka and Soul with him, too." Riku and Dusk stood nearby, the silver haired boy listening to every word. Dusk, on the other hand, was bobbing his head lightly in time to the music in his ears, eyes closed.

_"So...Sora's made some good friends here, too..."_ Riku thought. He couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous. He shook his head and sighed at the thought; he was past that now.

"Something on your mind, Master?" asked Dusk, a single cat's eye open and focused on the young man. Riku merely smiled a small smile, one that faded when the ground began to shake. He looked up to see Donald and Goofy running toward him.

"That sandstorm is headed this way!" called Goofy, and from the center of the oasis another pained cry rang out before the air seemed to shift and ripple.

"The barrier is broken," Dusk said with a bored expression before dozens of tentacles burst from the sand. Liz and Tsubaki were there in a flash, yelling for people to run toward the water. The blonde looked at Riku, eyes harsh and determined.

"Kid is knocked out, and these things will kill everyone if we don't do something. Tsubaki and I will look after the people; can I trust you guys to handle those...things?"

"We'll take care of it!" Donald said, staff glowing with magic. Goofy stood next to him, a shield sprouting from his arm. Dusk looked over to his master before transforming into his Keyblade form. Without a moment's hesitation, Riku grabbed the hilt of the blade and set it over his shoulder.

"Let's do this," he said, stepping forward and passing his companions as he undid his blindfold with his free hand, letting it flutter away on the breeze.


	6. Terror of the Sand 2

_Chapter 5 – Terror of the Sands (Part 2)_

Sora's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred but quickly remedied by a quick shake of the head. He looked aroudn slowly, taking in the alien landscape. Many buildings lay in ruin, there was fire in the streets, one of which he noticed was Soul's now ruined motorcycle. The sky was overcast, and the Keybearer could see that, behind the clouds, the sun was beginning to set, giving them an orange tinge that mirrored the flames below.

"Oblivion?" he asked weakly, putting his hands flat against the cold pavement and slowly forcing himself to his feet. His body ached.

"Up here," came the Weapon's voice, and Sora looked up to see the key-shaped sword embedded in the stone of a nearby building, too high for him to reach. He wondered briefly how that could have happened before a furious battle cry reached his ears.

"I'll be right back," he said, stumbling off toward the source. Had she been in her human form, he might have seen her rolling her eyes.

"Come on!" Is that the best you can do? Hit me! _Hit me!_" came the snarling voice, and Sora turned the corner to see Soul, fighting over the inert body of his Meister. Blood trailed from the corner of her mouth and Sora feared the worst. Soul didn't look very good, either; black liquid stained a good portion of his normally alabaster hair, and his eyes had a crazed look to them, a wide and malicious smile curving across his face. He was surrounded by more Heartless versions of Black Star, and he appeared to be fighting a losing battle. Still, he held his own – as each darted at him he swung out, scythe-arm slicing through them like paper, one after another. Sora watched as claws and blades tore at his friend, and te sight of it tore at his heart. He had to help.

"Get back! _Bastards!_" Soul cried, pushing back a wave of them before picking up his Meister and stepping back from the enemy, toward Sora. His breathing was ragged and tired.

_"If only I had a weapon..._" Sora thought, then his eyes lit up with realization. He felt stupid that he hadn't thought of it before.

"Soul! Transform!" he yelled, and the weapon looked at him blankly for a moment, seemingly unable to comprehend what the Keybearer had said. Sora was about to lose hope before the Weapon nodded and flashed with light, turning into a bloodstained version of his Weapon form. The scythe was embedded in the ground at such an angle that he could continue to support his Meister, keeping her from the ground. Sora dashed forward, shoving enemies out of the way in the process, and grabbed the handle, instantly feeling the darkness of the Black Blood in Soul's heart, trying to smother whatever light he had left. It was almost like some separate entity altogether.

"You're better than this," Sora muttered, trying to force his own wavelength – his light – through the darkness of the Black Blood. He felt it surge against him at first, but then it started to slowly subside. With his free hand he put Maka lightly on the asphalt, then with practically no effort pulled the scythe from the stone. He didn't know exactly how to _use_ the weapon, but he would. All at once, the Heartless threw themselves at the Meister. In response, Sora gathered all the strength he could muster and swung, cutting through his enemies cleanly but losing his balance with the cumbersome weapon and nearly falling. Luck was on his side, it seemed, because just as he caught himself with the butt of the weapon a heartless leaped over him, merging back with the group seamlessly.

_"You could use some work_,_" _said Soul sarcastically through gritted teeth.

"Hey, give me a break," Sora responded, followed by a short laugh that was made shorter when he had to duck another attack. He pulled the scythe blade up and buried it in the chest of his attacker, piercing through and hitting the one behind it as well. Though the weapon was unwieldy and somewhat heavy to him, Sora was starting to get the hang of it. But he knew he wouldn't be able to stay matched with Soul's wavelength forever. He needed his Keyblade.

_"Too bad I'm not on literally any other world right now,"_ he thought, blocking an incoming attack and spinning the scythe around behind him, destroying three more enemies. Sora gritted his teeth at the ever growing horde and backed away a few steps, making sure to be between Maka and any Heartless that came their way. It was the Battle of Hollow Bastion all over again.

_Meanwhile..._

Riku sidestepped, effortlessly avoiding the massive writhing tentacle that, not moments before, had been threatening to crush him into the sand. He smirked and put his hand on it, feeling the rough surface under his black glove. It looked like it was made of some sort of rock instead of flesh. Either way, it didn't really matter to him. An aura spread like dark fire along his hand, and the tentacle convulsed, recoiling when a small explosion took out a large chunk of it. It raised up and waved about in the air for a few seconds before retreating below the sand.

_"I thought you weren't going to rely on the power of the darkness anymore,"_ said Dusk, his form appearing on the surface of his Keyblade. He eyed his Meister with his cat-like eyes.

"I'm not," the young man said, holding the Weapon at his side as another tentacle rose to take the last one's place. Riku closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his power, and charged. He jumped through the air and cut through the new tentacle in one smooth motion – something he had learned from the samurai during his brief time in The Land of Dragons.

"Seven o' clock, Donald!" Goofy yelled, and the wizard reacted by swinging his longtime friend, currently in Weapon form, around to block the incoming tentacle as it tried to swipe him to the side. The duck braced himself, but the impact was light as a feather. Donald attributed this to his friend's power as a Weapon before lifting his staff high.

"Blizzard!" he cried, and the tentacle was hit with a torrent of ice that covered it until it simply stopped moving, just in time for Riku to dash through and shatter it with a fist covered in black fire.

_"This isn't doing us any good, Riku. We need to hit this thing at it's core_,"came Dusk's voice once more, and Riku nodded in agreement. They could take out all the tentacles they wanted, but he had a feeling that all that would do was piss this thing off.

"That's all well and good, but where's this thing's core supposed to be?" he asked.

"I can tell you that," came a voice, and Riku turned to see Kid walking toward him with Tsubaki and Liz at his sides, keeping him from falling. One arm was holding his ribs, and the other was cradling a skateboard.

"From what information I've been able to gather, the Sandsharks are a kind of offspring of this Heartless. If you can find where they gather out in the desert, you'll find whatever is controlling these tentacles," he said, dropping the board at the young man's feet before pointing off to the north.

"I can feel them swarming out that way. Take the skateboard and you'll get there in no time." Riku followed the reaper's orders without question, stepping on it and finding his balance.

_Death City..._

Sora panted heavily, using the scythe to keep himself standing, the limp form of Maka draped over his shoulder. Despite being a quick study with the Weapon, he was still only marginally better at wielding the scythe. Still, he had done his part and made it back to where Oblivion waited. He slowly lay Maka against the side of the building. Her breathing was slow but regular – a good sign.

"About time," Oblivion said from her perch, "Feels like I've been up here for hours!"

"Then why didn't you transform?" asked Sora.

"Are you kidding? If I did that I would just be hanging by my arm!" she cried, and Sora smiled.

"Yeah. Sorry about that," he said, putting his hands on his knees and trying to slow his breathing. The smile on his face vanished when a voice rang ou behind him.

"So, you defeated my Heartless without the Keyblade. Interesting." Sora turned and saw the Black Star Heartless from the oasis, and his jaw dropped. Next to him stood a girl, all black with a missing heart and glowing yellow eyes. Sora recognized her immediately.

"Light?"

"Hello, Sora," she said, her voice altered and strange. Darker sounding.

"You're..."

"I am," she said, answering him before he could finish. Sora gritted his teeth. Soul, meanwhile, whispered something to him, hoping his enemy didn't hear.

"Throw me up to Oblivion."

"What?" Sora asked, looking at the weapon with an eyebrow raised.

"Just do it," Soul muttered back, and Sora shrugged, not sure what good it would do. He turned and raised the scythe in one fluid motion, swinging the weapon in a wide arc and sending it spinning up the wall behind them. The Black Star Heatless laughed aloud.

"What, think you can take us down without a weapon?" he asked, but Sora wasn't paying attention to him, instead looking up the wall and watching as Soul transformed into his human form mid flight, grabbing the hilt of Oblivion when he passed her and trying to pry her from the wall.

"Sure," Sora said, eyes darting back down and sticking to the Light Heartless. It wasn't her. There was no way.

"Whatever. Light!" the Heartless said, and the girl transformed, becoming a black mass for a moment before turning into an all black version of Sora's Keyblade.

"This will be quick then," the Black Star Heartless said, voice dripping with confidence, and began to walk slowly toward the Keybearer. As he did, Obllvion came hurtling down from the wall with Soul, her blade stabbing into the ground while Soul landed in a crouch, his arm a deadly scythe blade.

"Yeah, it will be," said Sora, grabbing the hilt of the Keyblade before him and wrenching it from the concrete, more Black Star Heartless pooling up from the shadows. This Heartless was going down. He would make sure of it this time.


	7. In the City (Terror of the Sand 3)

_Chapter 6 – In the City/Terror of the Sands (Part 3)_

Between the two of them, one would have thought Sora and Soul would be more than capable of eliminating their foe. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

"You two don't stand a chance against me!" the Black Star Heartless cried, eyes glowing with malice and power. He spun the twisted Keyblade in his hand a few times before holding it out in front of him horizontally.

"In fact, you can have the first move. I'll wait." Sora and Soul exchanged a look, slowly circling around to either side of the creature as they devised a plan.

"We can do a pincer move, catch him on either side and take him out quickly," said Oblivion, and Soul nodded. Like wolves they continued to circle, the tension in the air becoming more and more palpable until, finally, the two closed the distance between them and their target in seconds. Sora and Soul both took full force swings, only to watch as the Heartless leapt above them. Soul kicked into a sllide to avoid Sora's attack.

"Up there!" the Weapon cried, holding a hand out to the Keybearer. Sora grabbed it and pulled, Soul transforming as he did so. Sora launched the scythe into the sky, just missing the Heartless as it rolled in midair and tossed several shuriken made of shadow at the boy below. Sora dipped, dodged, and blocked as many as he could but was still caught in the shoulder by one. He held the bleeding wound and looked up at his foe, and the Black Star Heartless laughed at him.

"Forget something?" asked Soul, back in his human form. The Heartless turned to see him falling back toward him, but was too slow to avoid the attack. Soul brought his scythe arm down on his opponent as he passed, catching him down the chest. Black blood spurted from the wound in thick globs as they both fell back to the earth. Soul landed in a crouch and the Heartless landed with a loud thud on his back. However, as soon as Soul straightened up a small group of the smaller Black Star Heartless attacked, only to be stopped by their master.

"Stop! They're mine!" the Black Star Heartless said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and sending Soul sprawling with an upward slash that answered the Weapon's previous attack, slicing open his chest and spilling blood onto the street.

"Nicely done," said the Heartless as Sora helped his friend to his feet. The gash in his chest had already healed, "but it's going to take a lot more than that to take me down."

"How is he so fast?" asked the Weapon, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Sora focused and held his hand just over the wound, green light beginning to emanate from it. It was the healing magic that Donald had taught him, but it wasn't near as powerful as he had thought it would be, and merely worked to staunch the bleeding. Still, it would have to be enough, and Sora looked up to see the Heartless standing with his blade held out again. Waiting.

"The bastard is taunting us," Soul said angrily, stepping out of Sora's grip and standing on his own again. Then he was, gone, scythe arm colliding with his enemy's blade in a shower of sparks. Meanwhile, Sora held Oblivion high as a swirling ball of red energy appeared at the tip. Soul held on but couldn't match the strength of the Heartless, and as the ball on Oblivion grew into several swirling balls of energy the Weapon was flung back past the Keybearer.

"Ragnarok!" he cried, dashing forward and striking out at his enemy. The Black Star Heartless blocked the attack easily, the ball exploding into several rays of energy that slowly curved around to strike the creature in the back. Sora could have sworn he saw a smile on the creature's face before it sunk into the ground, becoming a pool of shadows at his feet, and the Keybearer's eyes went wide as he watched his own attack turn against him. He rolled to the side, watching as the beams passed him by and before fading out of existence.

"How..." Sora began, but was cut off when the Heartless' blade reformed just in front of him, the tip of it piercing his chest and aiming for his heart. Sora grabbed the blade before it could go any further, and the Heartless oozed up from the ground halfway.

"Give up, Keybearer. You don't have the strength to hold me back forever," he said, pushing harder and making the blade push in a little farther. Sora gritted his teeth and pushed back even more. There was a flash as Oblivion transformed and landed at his side, eyes flashing as she struck out at her Meister's attacker only to be caught by the throat and lifted from the ground.

"Well that was stupid," said the Black Star Heartless, adopting Black Star's tone, "but fine. I'll kill you too."

"Oblivion!" Sora groaned, but could do nothing. Even that momentary distraction had let the blade slip a little bit closer to his heart. He could feel his hand slipping, and the metallic taste of blood rested on his tongue. He thought that all was lost until a red and black scythe blade pierced through the chest of his opponent. Sora felt the force behind the blade in his chest falter, and took the opportunity to pull it from his chest and wrench it from the grip of his foe, reversing it and plunging it through the Heartless' chest, just next to the scythe blade. Then, both he and Soul backed away, Oblivion transforming and leaping back into Sora's hand.

"Ha...you think this is the end of it?" asked the Heartless, black blood dripping from the open wound in his chest as he sunk slowly back into the ground, "I'm just the tip of the iceberg...you'll see..." Then, he was gone, the Heartless Keyblade sinking along with him. Sora watched as a soul, or a heart to him, appeared where his foe once was, floating there for a second before taking to the sky.

"We did it," Soul said, watching the soul go, "right Maka?" He received no answer, but he had expected this. However, when he turned his smile vanished.

"Maka? Maka!" he called. Sora turned slowly and saw the cause for the Weapon's distress; his Meister was gone.

_Meanwhile..._

"We are coming close to the source, I can feel it," Dusk said from his Weapon form. Riku had been flying through the desert for little more than an hour, and he could no longer see the Oasis, even from his vantage point in the sky. Down below was an uncountable number of shark-like Heartless, jumping in and out of the sand in a frenzy. Several tentacles writhed in and out of the sand as well, and Riku could see a large dune where they all converged.

"Yeah, I can see it," he said, letting the skateboard glide to a stop just above the dune. He looked down from his perch and thought about how he was going to approach this foe.

'You could always jump down on them. Rip them to pieces," said Dusk after a while, his tone bland but somehow sarcastic. Riku smiled.

"You know...you're right."

"What? Don't be stupid that's suicide."

"C'mon, where's your sense of danger?" asked Riku with finality as he launched himself off the board, falling into a nose dive toward the dune. Below him the main body of the Heartless erupted from the sand, a large emblem just above a beak-like mouth in the center. To either side of this mouth sat giant, glowing yellow eyes. It gave off a mighty screech and the sand sharks exploded into activity as it's tentacles burst from the sand, rocketing toward the young man. He twisted in midair as one approached, stabbing it and cutting a long line down the appendage as he continued to fall. Another tentacle rushed up to meet him and caught him before he had time to react, knocking him higher while another wrapped around him, the stone-like surface attempting to squeeze the life from him.

"You're not going to ge tme that easily!" Riku groaned before putting his free hand on the flesh of the creature, black fire doing as it did before and blowing a chunk away. It let him go, and he did a flip in midair before landing on another tentacle directly below him. He ran as fast as he could along the moving appendage, Keyblade flashing and the creature screeching in agony as more and more of it's tentacles were cut down. As he approached the center Riku leapt, coming down and stabbing the creature through the emblem. He pulsed his power through the Keyblade, and black fire sprayed from the Heartless' mouth as it burned away.

"It's over," the young man said as hearts, strange to him as they floated for a moment in front of him, began to appear all around him. Then, at the power of the Keyblade, the hearts floated away to join with Kingdom Hearts. When the creature was finally gone, he found himself standing in a deep pit of sand and, to his fortune, the sand-sharks were nowhere to be seen. The sound of rushing wind signaled the appearance of Death the Kid's skateboard, and without another word Riku stepped on it, taking to the skies. He looked to the city, just visible off the horizon.

"You think he'll need out help?" the boy asked, and Dusk appeared in the flat of the Keyblade and grunted, shrugging.


End file.
